Reel Big Fish has been around since dinosaurs roamed the Earth. There are stone tablets dating back to 2,000,000 B.C. depicting the band's first concert. And as much as you'd like to think the group's brand of ska-punk is dead, it isn't. Reel Big Fish played at Revolution Live last night, on our day of independence. What better way to celebrate our independence than by singing along to songs about capitalism, sex, violence, and selling out?

Even though Reel Big Fish is

now composed of mostly new members, as a whole, the group really knows how to work a crowd, and each person brings a certain energy

to the table. Most songs boasted a huge intro and a high-octane buildup, most including a variety of different sax and trombone

solos.

Then, the band would transition into a faster song, and before you could blink, everyone and their mothers would be crowd-surfing. On average, there

would be one person up every ten to 15 seconds. Most interestingly, spontaneity seemed to be a recurring theme of the

night. There were ska covers of "Brown-Eyed Girl," "Enter Sandman,"

"Call Me Maybe," and even Darth Vader's theme song, all of which got the

audience moving.

As the band played "Sell Out," its biggest single, a bit of irony became apparent. Though that song was a commercial success in 1997, the band has not, actually, sold out.

The group's sound has remained basically unchanged since the early part of that decade, and the members

continue to rock on their own terms. With so many bands losing their

true sound to cash in on trends, Reel Big Fish's consistency and dedication are admirable.

Critic's Notebook

Overheard in the crowd:

In reaction to a girl who seemed to crowd-surf every other minute, "That girl thinks she's at fucking Disney World!"